Conservation and sustainability are big issues, laden with science,
data and long-range trends. But they are also personal. Just ask Claudia Li
at the Hua Foundation in Vancouver. She’s integrating the conservation
ethos with the heritage and traditions of the local Chinese community.
And that’s just for starters.

Tell us about the Hua Foundation. What are your goals and current projects?

Hua Foundation is a grassroots non-profit a few friends and I started a year
ago. Our mission is to build solutions for the Hua community, the ethnic
Chinese community, around environmental sustainability and cultural
heritage. Currently, we have three main programs. Our newest is the Choi
Project, which focuses on bringing healthy, local Chinese food to our family
dinner tables. We also have the Hua Ren Environmental Network, which
connects community leaders on sustainability and social change issues.
Finally, there’s Shark Truth, which is the project the Hua Foundation
grew out of. It focuses on shark conservation, particularly around the
shark-fin issue. One of our signature programs is the Fin-Free Wedding
program, which has stopped 80,000 bowls of shark fin.

Food sounds like a key issue. How did you get from sharks to the Choi Project?

A lot of our shark conservation supporters had started to ask, “What else can
we do?” At the same time, I was trying to buy in-season food that was locally
produced and free of pesticides and hormones for my family. I found myself
having to choose between sustainable Western food and Chinese ingredients
that came with little information about how and where they were produced.

The Choi Project — “choi” being leafy vegetables or greens — aims
to close this gap through consumer education, community building and
working with small businesses. We host workshops where elders teach a
traditional dish. Youth then source sustainable ingredients. We’ve created
a “seasonal choi guide,” which talks about popular Chinese vegetables
grown in southwestern B.C. and when they are in season. We’re also
working with a local greengrocer, Chinatown Supermarket, to develop
a program to label more sustainable Chinese foods.

How does the Hua Ren Environmental Network fit in?

Hua Ren has about 70 members, both youth and elders, including business
leaders, academics, artists and activists. We hold events and host online
discussions so that people can share ideas and resources around environmental
or social issues. I’m the most excited for the
potential of this network to elevate youth
and debunk stereotypes.

How did you become interested in sustainability
activism?

My parents are from Hong Kong, and I grew
up in Canada. I’ve always felt like I’ve been
navigating two worlds. My elders encouraged
me to work hard and a get a good a job, a
good livelihood in their eyes. But I’ve also
been very engaged in social justice issues.

This caused an internal struggle for me.
When friends and family found out I was
a shark-fin activist, I’d get labelled as someone
who cared more about animals and
trees than our culture and heritage. But as
I met more young people, especially Hua
youth, I saw that this struggle wasn’t
particular to me.

My friends and I came to realize that
concern for sustainability and social justice
is rooted in our cultural value to provide a
good future for the next generation. Many
of us are the children of immigrants who
worked hard to give us a good life. We see
our foundation work as part of that value.
We’re working for the next generation.

So, where will your next steps take you?

We just moved into our very own office in
Chinatown. Part of building community
means creating space and time for brainstorming
and collaboration. I’ve found that
some of the best ideas surface over dinner
or in a conversation at a party. We hope our
headquarters can be a home for this kind
of creativity and energy.